


gentle em[B]race

by ZincStandard



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Femdom, Relationship(s), Role Reversal, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-21
Updated: 2017-04-21
Packaged: 2018-10-22 02:08:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10687587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZincStandard/pseuds/ZincStandard
Summary: While recovering from Grün's EMP attack and his captivity by Adam, 9S receives a surprise visit from 2B.  She's relieved to see him safe.





	gentle em[B]race

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers up to ending B. Full game completion not necessary, but some things will make more sense.
> 
> Also, this is my first submission. Hope you like it! Commentary is appreciated.

9S gritted his teeth against the pain as he slowly rolled his ankle.  Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty circles clockwise; a pause to let the ache recede, then counterclockwise, one, two, three...

It didn't hurt that bad, really—nothing like it had just a few days ago.  The techs always did good work, and 9S had a sneaking suspicion someone higher up had pulled strings to get him that little extra bit of attention that could speed the repair process along.  Would've been nice to think he'd earned it, at least, after pulling off what he had against that Grün monster.  Still, though, the maintenance team could only work so fast, and there was only so much they could do at all before his self-repair systems would have to do their part.  That was the point of these exercises, apparently, to help his motor functions rebuild themselves.  They seemed to be working—he felt less stiff and sore every day since being released from intensive care.  In the privacy of his bunk, however, no one could stop him from grumbling about the pain that remained.

If he never got caught in an EMP again, it would be too soon.

Twenty-nine, thirty.  Finishing the last set of motions, 9S gingerly lifted himself off the narrow bed and made his slow way to the sink.  Grim and drab the Bunker may have been, he mused as he filled himself a glass, but it was awfully nice to have running water.  He'd left off his field uniform in favor of off-duty dress, simple black sweats and white t-shirt with the YoRHa insignia printed on the breast; his combat visor lay on the bedside table, unneeded for a welcome change.

He was just setting down his glass and thinking of turning in early when a cheerful beep signaled someone at his door.  "It's open," he called, curious for a second before the portal slid open to reveal the usual impassive face of 2B.

9S barely managed not to jump; he nearly didn't recognize her.  For the first time he'd ever seen, she was also out of her combat uniform, in women's off-duty dress—the same as men's, except with a plain black skirt instead of sweatpants.  Her visor was likewise not in evidence...when was the last time he'd seen her eyes?  He noticed she'd kept her boots, though, apparently unwilling to let herself relax completely even here.  That, at least, was the 2B he was used to.

"Oh, whoa, uh, hey!" he spluttered, surprised.  "I thought you were still planetside."

"Command gave me a leave for tonight," his partner replied, angling her head.  "I thought I should come by and see how you were recovering."  She glanced over his shoulder, into the room.  "May I come in?"

"Oh!" 9S started, shaking himself out of his stupor.  "Y-yeah, of course."

As 2B entered, the door automatically sliding shut behind her, he gave himself another good mental shake, just to be sure.  He realized, with some surprise, that he hadn't seen her properly since the battle at the harbor.  The operators had filled him in on some of what had happened while he'd been out, but he only had a few vague figments of his own, from the moments he'd drifted nearest to consciousness.  He remembered a field of blurry whiteness...stabbing pains through his body...and then 2B's voice, murmuring words of comfort that sounded nothing like how she usually talked, and her arms supporting his weight, holding him close to her.

He snapped himself back to the present, fervently hoping she couldn't tell what he'd just been thinking about.

If 2B could, she gave no sign.  "So," she said, regarding him coolly as usual from behind crossed arms, "how are the repairs coming along?"

"Good," 9S answered, happy to have something easy to focus on.  "Faster than I was worried they would, actually.  Still pretty stiff, and some visual tearing if I move my head too fast, but it's a lot better than it was.  They say I should be fit for duty again in another couple days."

"That's good to hear," she said with an approving nod.

"Trust me," 9S chuckled, "no one's more relieved than I am."  He thought he saw the corners of her mouth twitch just a little.

"What about you?" he went on.  "I've been pretty out of the loop up here.  How goes the war?"

"Better than it has in a long time," 2B replied, leaning sideways against the wall.  "With Adam dead, the machines have lost a full half of their network, which leaves them severely weakened."

9S shook his head.  "Yeah, I heard about that.  Hard to believe, isn't it?"  It was a crazy thought, that if things kept up at the rate they'd been going lately, they might live to see the end of a war that their kind had been fighting for nearly five thousand years before he went online.  "What about the machines that have been disconnected?  Are they causing trouble?"

"Some are, apparently," 2B said carelessly, "but it's nothing in comparison.  Many are forming their own colonies.  One group's actually moved into the factory—Pascal says they've been talking about a peace treaty.  He and I are planning to meet with them tomorrow."

"Wow..."  9S was silent for a moment, turning that over.  "YoRHa soldiers, helping machines hold peace talks.  Never thought I'd see _that_ day."

"That makes two of us."

9S watched her, wondering if he should say what was on his mind.  Finally, he decided to take the risk.  "I still can't believe you took out Adam," he said softly.  "I mean, I can, but...well, I fought him, and I barely held my own.  And he was weaker back then, if the evolution kept up as a pattern."

2B shrugged.  "It's what we combat models are built for.  We all have our own strengths."  9S knew she was right, but it didn't wholly dispel the awestruck feeling.  Since before they'd been partnered, he'd heard stories about her, heard her talked about in hushed tones as one of the best even among the B series; he'd seen what she was capable of often enough since, but never until that moment had all the mystique surrounding her felt so real.  From what he'd witnessed of Adam's strength, the fight between them must have been something to behold.  He knew a scanner like him couldn't be expected to match her combat prowess, but that didn't make it any less impressive.

2B must have gotten tired of watching him stare awkwardly down at the floor.  "Well, anyway, I don't have anywhere special I need to be tonight.  Do you want to do something?"

It took 9S a moment to process what he'd just heard.  "Wait...did I hear that right?" he said, half joking and half actually incredulous.  "You want to spend time doing something other than working?"

She raised an eyebrow.  "Is that so hard to believe?"

9S almost said 'yes', but decided that conversation wouldn't lead anywhere he'd like.  "Um...yeah, okay, sure," he said instead.  "We can hang out."  A pause as he tried to take a step and winced.  "I can't really do anything strenuous, but...I dunno, wanna watch a movie or something?"

This time, he was certain: 2B smiled, just a little.  "That sounds good."

9S nodded slowly, still getting used to this very strange, but not unpleasant idea.  "Okay.  Well, uh, have a seat, if you want."  He gestured to the bed, which customarily doubled as a couch, thankful he'd made it just that day.  2B accepted his offer, heels clicking on the hard floor as she headed over and settled herself down on top of the covers, leaning back against the wall; 9S joined her after a moment of delicate walking, putting a respectful distance between them.

Grabbing the remote off the nightstand, he pointed it at the screen on the opposite wall.  "Anything special you want to watch?" he offered as he navigated to YoRHa's on-demand entertainment selection.

2B shook her head.  "I'm alright with anything.  Pick something you like."

He chuckled.  "You're gonna regret that.  I have shitty taste in movies."  A second later, he went rigid as he realized what he'd just said.  "Oh, uh...s-sorry."

2B turned her head to him with a confused look.  "For what?"

"Well, um..."  9S felt his embarrassment give way to doubt.  "For swearing."

The confused look deepened.  "Who said you couldn't swear?"

9S opened his mouth, then closed it again.  "Never mind."  With some trepidation, he selected a dumb historical drama about the first android deployments in the Second Machine War, figuring that would be universal enough to not be horribly uncomfortable.

Minutes passed in silence between them, the movie filling the space.  9S managed to pay some attention, enough to realize the acting was pretty overdone, but his mind kept wandering a few feet to his right.  He fought to keep his eyes on the screen.  Hazy fragments of memory swam at the edges of his awareness—a cold, taunting voice, whispering to him through the alien tangle of the machine network.

_You're thinking about how much you want to fuck 2B, aren't you?_

He snapped back to the present with a sharp breath.  Embarrassment flooded in an instant later—had she noticed?  Somehow guessed where his mind had been?  Unable to resist, he chanced a glance her way.

She was looking back at him.  For a second, their eyes met.  Then she broke it, turning quickly to watch the screen again.  He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw her cheeks color faintly.

He tried to focus on the movie again, but now all he could think about was whether he'd really just made 2B blush.

"You had me worried back there, 9S."  Her voice snapped him back to the present again.

He turned back to her to find her still watching the screen.  Despite his inner turmoil, he found himself smiling.  "That sounds a lot like an emotion."

She met his gaze again, and he thought he detected a mischievous gleam in her eyes.  "Do you plan on reporting me?"

He had to laugh at that.  "Hey, I ain't no snitch."

For maybe the third time he'd ever seen, 2B smiled back at him.  "Then I don't see a problem."

9S tried to look away again, then realized it was a lost cause and gave it up.  "You don't have to worry about me, though," he said, the laughter gone from his voice.  "Really.  I can take care of myself."

2B sighed, still with that rare, precious smile.  "I know you can.  You're a good soldier, 9S."  A pause, as she seemed to hesitate, the smile fading a little and then returning.  "Honestly, the best I've ever served with."

_...What?_   The words vanished from his mouth.  _Oh...oh God..._ He felt dizzy, his chest tight; his eyes prickled with tears.  He turned away from her, wanting to hide his face.

"What?"  He heard the concern in her voice.  "9S?  Are you alright?"

He sucked in air.  "I...I'm fine..."  His voice shook; for once, he cursed his lack of control.  What would she think, seeing him like this?  "I just...you don't know how much that means to me..."  Great.  Just perfect.  One of YoRHa's living legends, someone he'd looked up to for years, had offered him such amazing praise, and he'd broken down blubbering like an idiot.  He'd never be able to face her again.

He was only vaguely aware of 2B moving closer on the bed.  "Hey," he heard her whisper, sounding like she had in those half-remembered fragments.  "Hey, come here..."  Then her arms were around him, and she was pulling him close against her body, his head on her chest.  He could hear the low hum of her black box, feel the warmth of her artificial skin through her clothes.  His embarrassment was forgotten, replaced by equal parts confusion, elation, and disbelief.

Unfortunately, he was only allowed a moment to enjoy this surprising twist before the change of position pulled at servos that were still being stubborn, and he winced at the pain.

"Oh, sorry," 2B said, sounding concerned again.  "Did that hurt?"

9S gritted his teeth.  "It's fine."

2B made an "aww" sort of noise that 9S never could have pictured coming from her.  Her arms tightened around him, and he only had a second to get comfortable before he felt warmth and softness brush against the edge of his ear, and he realized dimly that it had been her lips before the tingles that washed over him whited out complex thought for a moment.

"Better?" 2B murmured, the word carrying a teasing edge.  9S had to admit, the pain had receded, and he mumbled something affirmative.

She laughed, a low, soft note that spoke of effortless self-assurance.  9S felt her chest rumble faintly with it, and then her lips on his ear again, playing along the edge of the synthetic cartilage with feather-light kisses.  He couldn't reconcile this with anything he understood about her, about anything, but he was helpless to resist, his body and voice betraying him as he sank into her and whimpered at the shivers running through his circuits with every touch.  The response only seemed to encourage her, teeth slipping past her lips to nibble, tongue darting out to lick.

"2B..." he moaned.

He felt the tip of 2B's tongue graze his skin, and then the coolness of her breath as she blew on the spot, making him go weak all over again.  Before he could recover, her fingers were hooked under his chin, tilting his head up to put them face-to-face.  She wore that same mischievous smile from a moment ago as she gazed into his eyes like she was seeing right into his deep processes.

"Nines?" she said, lips curling playfully over the nickname she'd never been willing to use before.

His breath caught in his throat.  "Y-yeah?"

"Call me ma'am."

_...Huh_.  He swallowed loudly.  "Um...yes, ma'am."

"Good boy," she cooed, and then her lips were on his.  She treated them the same way she had his ear, sucking and licking and nibbling at her own unhurried pace.  9S knew he was completely out of his depth, but it felt too good to care, and he responded without thinking, meeting her tongue with his and tasting the warm, wet softness of the mouth he'd fantasized about kissing for so desperately long.

It seemed like she'd be content to go on like that forever, until she pulled away with one last nibble on his lower lip.  When he opened his eyes to look up at her, he found hers still closed, her chest heaving as she panted for breath.  She caught it quickly, recovering and meeting his gaze with another smile, this time less playful and more...the only word he could think of was 'hungry'.

"I meant what I said," she breathed.  "You're an incredible partner, Nines.  I've never met another soldier as brave or loyal as you."

9S found his mouth suddenly dry.  "Th-thank you...uh, ma'am," he remembered at the last moment.

With a careful touch, 2B lifted him off her chest and guided him to sit back against the wall, turning as she did so she was still facing him.  "I want you to understand," she said huskily, shifting back to stand on the floor and lean over the bed.  "I want you to know how much I rely on you," as she straightened up, placing him in her shadow.  "How important you are to me."

With one smooth motion, she crossed her arms in front of her and pulled her shirt off over her head.  She wasn't wearing anything underneath.  Her small, firm breasts were right in front of his eyes, adorning a body perfectly crafted for peak combat efficiency, skin rippling faintly over corded synthetic muscle.

"Oh fuck," he groaned, transfixed.  Her smile broadened.

Slowly, she turned around, swaying her hips, heels clicking in time with her movements.  9S thought he might crash as he watched her, remembering countless fantasies about those gorgeous, curvaceous thighs, the way the cut of her uniform seemed made to flatter her ass, wondering how it might look without it...he swallowed even louder than before when it occurred to him that he might be about to find out.

2B stopped facing away from him, still swaying a little on the spot.  Her hands went to her hips, then slid around to cup her cheeks.  "You like this, don't you?" she purred, twisting to look over her shoulder with a glint in her eye.  "I've seen you trying to look up my skirt..."

9S made a choking noise and guiltily averted his eyes, face burning.  "I...w-well, it's not like I have to try all that hard..."  Honestly, it was more an accident than anything; those uniforms really did leave nothing to the imagination.

She laughed again.  "It's alright.  I understand."  Her fingers went to the zipper at the side of the more conservative number she wore now, slowly, ever so slowly easing it downward.  Finally, it completed its journey, and she let the undone skirt fall away, sliding down her legs to the floor.

As she stepped out of it, 9S was faced with a view that exceeded expectations: 2B's hips, ass, and thighs bare except for a pair of white panties that might as well not have been there, until her legs disappeared into her stockings and boots.  He couldn't help but stare as she presented herself to him, fingers brushing over the waistband of her underwear with the teasing promise of discarding even that.  He wondered how her flesh would feel; his hands twitched.  She was close, close enough that if he wanted, he could reach out and touch...

He was hardly aware of leaning forward and laying a hand on her thigh, but the second he did, it was in her grip, pulled away and held tight at her side.  Her swaying stopped, and she turned around to face him again, no longer smiling, but looking down with icy disapproval.

"Did I give you permission to touch, 9S?" she said, her voice hard.

_Gulp_.  "N-no, ma'am," he stuttered.

Her eyes narrowed.  "Does that strike you as appropriate behavior toward a superior officer?"

9S shook his head, suddenly unsure where this was going.  "Uh...no, ma'am."

With his hand still in her vise-like grip, 2B leaned forward until her face was inches from his.  "And what happens to soldiers who disrespect the chain of command, 9S?"

_Double gulp_.  "They, uh...they face disciplinary action, ma'am."

"That's right," she said with a nod, before straightening up again.  Stepping backward, she hooked her fingers through the waistband of her panties and pulled them down, letting them fall and stepping out of them.  Her hairless slit glistened wetly in the artificial light.  Lowering herself down, she sat on the edge of the low table in the center of the room, and pointed to the floor at her feet.  "On your knees," she ordered, her tone a little softer.

9S could do nothing but obey.  Getting off the bed and kneeling hurt, but he was far beyond noticing or caring.

Her hand went to his cheek, stroking it for a moment as she took in the sight he presented.  Her tongue ran over her lips…God, how had he never paid more attention to her lips?  He didn’t have long to wonder before her fingers were pushing into his mouth.  She didn’t have to tell him what to do—he found all he wanted was to lick and suck, so he did, a small part of him managing to be amazed at how soft her hand felt for someone who spent so much time gripping a sword.  His eyes reflexively fell closed, but he heard her let out a breathless whimper, and felt the shiver run off her; he moaned in response, sucking harder, enthralled by the thought of making her feel as good as she’d done for him a moment ago.

Only a brief moment of that went by before her hand withdrew; he opened his eyes just in time for her to grab his head and pull him in between her spread thighs.  He let them close again as the smell of her filled his lungs, and then his mouth was on her, her lips like satin, her wetness sweet and salty on his tongue.  He felt the same need from a moment ago take hold again, and let it guide him, exploring and tasting.  Too little self-awareness was left for him to realize that he had no idea how to do this, but 2B didn’t seem to mind.  “G-good boy,” she moaned, her voice catching, arching against him and holding his head firmly in place.

9S ran the tip of his tongue up and down her slit, lapping her up.  He pushed inside her as deep as he could, swirling around and feeling her heat, how tight she was.  He felt the protrusion of her clit, anatomy he was aware of academically but had scarcely dared hope to know like this, and lavished attention on it, dragging the flat of his tongue over it and flicking it with the tip, back and forth.  That drew the loudest moans yet from her, and he tried distractedly to make sure his audio feed was being recorded to the most permanent storage he had available, until his ears were suddenly blocked by her thighs clamping around his head.  No longer being able to hear her was a small price to pay.

With nothing else to do, he kept at it.  His arms had made their way around her at some point, and he could feel her heaving breaths.  With each one, her legs seemed to grip him tighter, until it felt like she might crush his head.  Finally, just as it started to seem like she couldn’t get any more tense, he felt something in her snap, the muffled sound of her cry reaching his ears as she bucked against him, a rush of wetness filling his mouth and covering his face.

She slumped forward, panting, relaxing her grip but not letting go right away.  Unsure what else to do, 9S chanced a few more cautious, gentle licks, and felt her shudder with each.  After a minute, 2B released him, her hands finding his cheeks again and guiding him to meet her eyes.

If he’d thought she looked different than usual walking in, she looked now like a completely new person.  Her cheeks glowed scarlet, and she grinned hazily down at him through half-lidded eyes.  As he took in the sight, she bent down and kissed him, harder and faster this time, licking her cum off his lips.

She withdrew, sitting up again.  “That was _amazing,_ Nines.”

He couldn’t help but laugh, thought starting to assert itself again.  “I aim to please.”

Her smile broadened as she stroked his hair.  “I know you do.”  Then it faded, replaced with concern.  “Are you alright?  I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

The question made him aware of the soreness in his legs and neck again; he fought to keep it off his face.  “Nah, I’m okay,” he said, strain creeping into his voice.

She pursed her lips and got off the table, kneeling at his side.  Before he could respond, she’d scooped him into her arms, mechanical strength easily lifting his weight.  “W-whoa, hey!” he protested, the sentiment ruined by his laughter.

“You’ve been so good,” she cooed as she got to her feet, carrying him back toward the bed.  “Just relax, now.  Let me take care of you.”

9S’ laughter died away as she set him down on the mattress.  “Hey, you don’t have to—“

“ _Shh_ ,” she said; he shut up.

Climbing onto the bed with him, 2B straddled his hips, giving him a momentary perfect view of her before she bent down for another kiss.  She took this one slow again, and when she was done with his mouth, she moved to his jaw, and then his neck.  9S felt the composure he’d regained dissolving again right away as she slowly trailed kisses and gentle nips downward; he had to bite his lip to stay quiet.  “It’s alright,” he heard her whisper, her breath caressing sensitive flesh.  “Let it out…”  He felt like a puppet on strings, but that didn’t stop him from moaning as she reached the spot where his neck and shoulder met.

Her lips brushed the collar of his shirt, and she pulled away.  “Let’s get this off,” he heard as though from a distance, as she started to lift the bottom hem; he raised his arms above his head and sat up as best he could.  Cool climate-controlled air met his skin as 2B tossed his shirt away, her eyes traveling down the spare, lightweight frame of his body.  Without another word, she bent back down and returned to where she’d left off, kissing the divet of his collarbone, his shoulder, his chest, down his belly, toward the waistband of his pants.  He was little more than a puddle by then.

She lingered down there a while, favoring the subtle protrusions of his hipbones.  He’d have been shocked if she didn’t notice his obvious bulge; every move he made caused his underwear to rub against him, which only made it harder to keep still as 2B took her time.  Thankfully, she noticed his struggle before too long.  He helpfully lifted his hips as she slowly revealed him, his hardness springing free as soon as his pants were out of the way.  2B licked her lips again as she took in the sight.  “God, you’re beautiful,” she breathed.  His cock twitched beneath her scrutiny, pre-cum beading at the tip.

Her fingers wrapped around him, making him buck against her hand, moaning something inarticulate.  He heard her laugh, and then heat and wetness enveloped him, and he realized she’d taken him in her mouth before rational thought got difficult again.  Any shame he’d still felt about making noise went out the window, most of his attention going toward keeping his hips still as she started to suck, bobbing her head slowly.  He struggled to lift his head so he could look down, and was rewarded with the sight of her sparkling eyes looking back at him while her mouth wrapped around his erection; the image made him go weak all over, falling back against the pillow.

She kept at it, her tongue caressing the underside of his cock as she sucked.  “I…”  He struggled to find his voice.  “2B…I…”

Before he could get the words out, she released him.  He felt her crawl back up, and opened his eyes to find her right above him, glaring.

“I thought I told you,” she growled, “to call me _ma’am_.”

9S did his best to burrow into the mattress.  “Uh…s-sorry, ma’am, I—“

She interrupted him with a kiss.  Her tongue pushed deep into his mouth; he could taste a hint of what must have been his pre-cum on it.  When she broke it off, she barely moved back, hovering just an inch from his face.  “That’s better,” she sighed, smiling.  He felt her breath on his lips, and then her hand on his erection, guiding his tip to meet her folds.

She kissed him again as she lowered her hips, taking him inside her in one smooth motion.

Through the explosion of processor signals, he felt her mouth buzz with muffled moaning.  As she settled into place and started to slowly rock back and forth, she began to nearly devour him, biting his lips almost painfully, wrapping her tongue around his as though trying to pull it out.  He’d never felt so completely enveloped, her weight holding him down, their mouths entwined, the heat and softness he’d felt with his tongue earlier wrapped around his cock, embracing it.  She started moving with more urgency, faster; there was no question who was being fucked, and who was doing the fucking.  They were both moaning now, all attempt at speech forgotten even if they’d been willing to stop kissing.

Warmth, wetness, want, need, pain, euphoria, safety…he suddenly thought it felt familiar.  Well, no surprise, really—he’d certainly dreamed about it enough.  Something about it felt more concrete than that, though…no, no time to think about that.  Don’t think.  Just lick.

He’d been close when they’d started; it wouldn’t be long, now.  He wanted to warn her, but his tongue was occupied….  As if reading his mind—and hell, as close as they were now, he wouldn’t have been surprised—she broke the kiss and pressed her lips to his ear.  “Cum for me, Nines,” her breathless whisper curled into his core, commanding him more surely than any hacking.

He was aware of helplessly bucking against her, and crying out with all the air in his lungs, and the blinding assault of ecstasy as his climax hit.  As he throbbed inside her, her walls tightened around him, and her voice rose with his.  Strength left them both all at once, and 9S collapsed back against the bed, 2B fallen on top of him, panting for breath as his systems scrambled to sort themselves out.

For a long time, they just lay there, saying nothing.  After a moment, 9S felt a little energy return, and used it to wrap his arms around 2B, rubbing her back with one hand while the other went to stroke her hair.  She made a sound almost like purring, and he felt her nuzzle against his neck.  A sudden thought occurred to him, and he couldn’t help but laugh.  “I am gonna be in _so_ much pain when I can feel my joints again.”  She laughed too, and kissed the spot where her mouth was already.

Another moment passed—it was hard to tell how long.  The air began to feel cool again as 9S’ skin cooled down.  As he kept stroking 2B’s hair, he was struck again by an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.  He knew there was nothing to it, but still, it made him oddly sad.

He wanted to just enjoy this moment forever, but as the analytical part of him began to reassert itself, he knew he couldn’t.  There was too much to consider about this—what did it mean?  No matter how either of them felt, they still had a war to win.

He took a deep breath, screwing up his courage.  “Hey, so…can I ask, what now?  Like…where do we go from here?”

There was a long silence.  For a second, he thought 2B might have fallen asleep…then he felt a shudder run through her, and heard a choked sob, and felt the hot wetness of tears against his neck.

A nauseous wave of confusion and fear swept through him.  “W-wait, what’s wrong?”  This didn’t make any sense—what had he done?

Again, her response was slow in coming, her frame shaking with more sobbing.  Finally, she got a handle on the tears, sniffling.  “You’re...”  She seemed to hesitate.  “So young…”

Her arms wrapped tighter around him.  9S stared down at her, still just as confused.  What was that supposed to mean?

Unsure what else to do, he held her as she cried, the pain of his injuries thoroughly forgotten.


End file.
